Sig Christenson is a veteran military reporter who has made nine trips to the war zone. He writes regularly for Hearst about service members, veterans and heroes, among other topics. He is also the co-founder and former president of Military Reporters and Editors, founded in 2002.

American Legion

03/22/2012

The solemn ceremony had a simple message, one that could be boiled down to a few words — welcome back and welcome home.

Those honored Wednesday night at Leon Valley Elementary were veterans of Persian Gulf War I, Afghanistan and Iraq. But veterans of another war weren't far from mind.

“The war started in March of 2003, this Iraqi war, and we wanted to provide recognition for these people,” said Walter Geraghty, commander of American Legion Post No. 336 and a former mayor pro tem on the Leon Valley City Council.

“I was in during the Vietnam War, and it was very unpopular in many places, and the communities did not welcome the people back, so I didn't want that to happen once again,” he added. “I wanted to make sure that this time we did it right.”

The post, which started a little more than three years ago with a handful of members and now has 460, embraced their brothers in arms. The event also was a chance to recruit new members to the post, named for famed World War II Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy.

A dozen or so veterans, retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Will Jackson among them, stood on a stage in the school cafeteria and posed for photos, offering an opportunity for levity.